


Rescue Me

by dracoqueen22



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Campaign 2 (Critical Role), Gen, Near Drowning Experience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23830210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracoqueen22/pseuds/dracoqueen22
Summary: Caduceus’ first experience with the ocean is going rather poorly until he’s rescued by a very handsome lifeguard named Fjord.For FjorClay Week, Day Six, Modern AU
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	Rescue Me

There's a certain arrogance one must have to venture into the ocean, Caduceus decides, and apparently, he is far too modest to face the relentless strength of the sea.  
  
He coughs, arms flailing, but another wave crashes over him, heavy and unyielding, pushing him below the surface. He can't see, can't hear, and the water burns in his nose, whips around his face, exerts a heavy pressure on his chest.  
  
Caduceus kicks his way to the surface, deciding his was an arrogance unfounded, and manages to get his head above water before another wave buries him, and down he goes, into the murk. Sand and seaweed swirl around him.  
  
His chest burns. His nose burns. Panic sets in, and he promises the Wildmother -- I'll be more gracious, I'll be more respectful, I'll be more humble, if only you'll save me.  
  
Caduceus flails, another wave splashing down on top of him, the push and pull of the tide turning him in all directions. He has no idea which way it is to the surface. He's always been a passable swimmer. He thought the mild weather, the warm sun, surely he could swim like everyone else.  
  
Arrogance, he thinks, is his downfall.  
  
And then there are arms, strong and warm around his torso, towing him toward the sun. They surface with a splash and the blue sky has never been so beautiful.  
  
"Hold on, I've got you," says a gruff voice as Caduceus splutters and coughs and clings for dear life to his savior.  
  
"Thank you," he gasps, heart racing as he sucks in heavy gulps of salty air. "Thank you so much."  
  
He gets a glimpse of a smile, bright gold eyes, green skin, tusks. "No problem. It's my job," says Caduceus' savior, and they start the slow, careful return to shore, Caduceus as weak as a kitten.  
  
He certainly feels like one, water-logged and a bit terrified, completely out of his depth, and clinging to the nearest source of stability. But his rescuer -- a half-orc Caduceus surmises -- is a strong swimmer, and he effortlessly brings Caduceus back to shore, back to the shallows, where he can finally get his feet beneath him.  
  
He coughs, dragging desperate breaths into lungs which ache, and a throat that burns like fire. He stumbles, knees wobbly, but his savior tucks himself against Caduceus' side, hooks an arm around his waist, and keeps him upright.  
  
"Easy does it," the man rumbles. "One step after another. There you go."  
  
"Thank you," Caduceus says again, and his rescuer looks up at him with a brilliant smile, and the cutest dimples Caduceus has ever seen.  
  
"You're welcome. But really, it's my job. Technically." He tightens his grip and half-guides, half-carries Caduceus to a nearby outcropping of sea rock.  
  
Caduceus gratefully sinks down onto it, his knees like jelly, his hair hanging around in his face in stringy clumps, his throat like fire, and his nose burning. He leans forward, his chest aching from the sensation of water in his lungs, trying to find calm.  
  
There's a warm hand on his back. "I'm going to get my bag, and then I'll be right back, all right? Just need one second."  
  
"Sure," Caduceus says around another wet cough.  
  
The warmth vanishes. His savior jogs across the sand and scoops up a bright red bag laying nearby, next to a pair of shoes and a discarded shirt. The half-orc is wearing a bright red pair of shorts, and Caduceus belatedly recognizes it as the standard uniform of a lifeguard.  
  
He thought this strip of beach was too secluded to have one.  
  
"I'm glad I decided to walk to work today," his savior says when he returns, dropping the bag and immediately rooting through it. He produces a wide towel, which he throws over Caduceus' shoulder. "How's that for luck?"  
  
Or fate maybe. Melora looking out for her faithful.  
  
"My good luck," Caduceus rasps and pulls the towel tighter around him. "The waves here are stronger than I expected."  
  
"Yeah, it's the jetties. They kind of... funnel the waves." His savior illustrates with his hands before he drops them back to his knees, crouching as he is besides Caduceus. "I wouldn't recommend swimming out here alone."  
  
Caduceus coughs into his hand. "I won't be making that mistake again."  
  
His rescuer roots around in his bag again before producing a thermos, which he offers to Caduceus. "Here. This should help."  
  
"What is it?" Caduceus asks, though he's already unscrewing the lid and taking a huge gulp.  
  
"Tea," his savior says as the overly sweet liquid flows over Caduceus' tongue.  
  
He makes himself swallow it, but yuck. Gross. That isn't tea. It's sugar water with only the vaguest hint of something steeped.  
  
Caduceus wrinkles his nose and hands it back. "That's not tea."  
  
"It's brewed tea leaves so that means it technically is." His savior chuckles but screws the lid back on and tucks it into his bag. "It's not good, is it?"  
  
"Sweet," Caduceus says, and smacks his lips, unsure which taste is worse, that of the salty ocean, or the sickly sweet liquid. "Too sweet. Can't taste the leaves."  
  
"Fair." He sticks out a hand. "I'm Fjord by the way."  
  
Caduceus clasps their hands together, impressed by the firm grip. Father always says you can tell a man's intentions by the character of his handshake. "Caduceus. Thanks for your kindness."  
  
"I mean, it's the least I can do." Fjord scrubs the back of his neck, his green skin turning a ruddy brown. "It's what anyone would do."  
  
"Maybe." Caduceus takes in a slow, deep breath that doesn't burn, calm finally settling around him. He's not shivering anymore at least, though he stares out into the ocean with some trepidation. "I should be more respectful of things with more power than me."  
  
Fjord rises to sit next to him, stretching out his legs with a soft groan. "That's a general rule." He leans forward, elbows on his knees. "Why were you swimming out here alone anyway?"  
  
"I do most things alone," Caduceus admits. "And I've always wanted to swim in the ocean so I thought it would be fun. And it was." Until he nearly drowned, it was spectacular.  
  
"No friends?"  
  
Caduceus finally manages to sit up straight, squeezing water out of his hair with the towel. "Few occasions to make them," he says, and gives Fjord a patient smile. "I was not only homeschooled, my family lives in a pretty remote place."  
  
Fjord's eyebrows crawl toward his short-cropped hair. "What are you doing here then? Vacation?"  
  
"I wanted to try something new." Caduceus twists his hair into a loose bun on the top of his head. He smiles as he hands the towel back to Fjord. "It's a bit damp, sorry."  
  
Fjord waves him off. "That's kind of what towels are for."  
  
Caduceus chuckles. "Yes, you're right." The sun warms his shoulders, his face, chasing away the stark chill of nearly-drowning. He feels more like himself now. "Anyway, I've taken too much of your time, Mr. Fjord. I'm all right now. I'm sure you have things you need to get to."  
  
"Hey now. Do I look like the sort of guy who'd just take off after rescuing someone from a near-death experience?" Fjord asks. He swipes the towel over his own head and body, whisking away the water, before sliding into his shirt, which is a shame honestly. Fjord has a very nice body. "Because, you know, I'm not that kind of guy."  
  
"I don't want to keep troubling you," Caduceus says. "Besides, I won't be going into the water anytime soon, so you don't have to worry."  
  
Fjord shakes his head. "It's not about that." He stands and plants his hands on his hips. "Also, not going back into the water is a bad idea. You just need to make sure you don't swim alone."  
  
Caduceus smiles and offers a soft laugh. "Alone is what I'm used to."  
  
"That's kind of sad, Caduceus." Fjord gnaws on his bottom lip, tusk pressing in on the soft flesh, before he snaps his fingers. "I've got an idea. Why don't you come with me?"  
  
"... with you?" Caduceus echoes as Fjord stoops to shove the towel back into the bag before zipping it shut and slinging it over his shoulders.  
  
"You can meet my friends, hang out with us, swim with other people nearby, that sort of thing." Fjord stands and holds out a hand to Caduceus. "I think Veth's planning on setting up a barbecue, and Beau brought her volleyball net. It'll be fun."  
  
"I..." Caduceus hesitates.  
  
Calliope told him not to go anywhere with strangers. She'd said it in jest, but it's a real point now. Except Fjord's not a stranger. He'd saved Caduceus' life.  
  
He's a good man. Caduceus is sure of it.  
  
"Sure." Caduceus takes Fjord's hand and lets the half-orc haul him to his feet. He might have the advantage of height on Fjord, but Fjord is significantly stronger. "I think that sounds nice."  
  
Fjord grins at him, and Caduceus' knees go a little weak. He's sure it must be because of his recent near-death experience, and not because Fjord's eyes are as beautiful as a field of goldenrod.  
  
"Good." He hooks his hand in the strap of his bag. "My friends are a weird and wild bunch, but I think you'll like them."  
  
"From a certain perspective, I'm weird," Caduceus says, and points to his stack of belongings, a little further up the beach. "Let me just get my things and.... uh... you said you were walking, right? I can give you a lift."  
  
Fjord falls in step beside him. "I mean, we're all a little weird, aren't we?"  
  
Caduceus tips his head back and laughs, nearly miss-stepping in the loose sand if not for Fjord grabbing his elbow to help him keep his balance.  
  
"The very best people are," Caduceus says. It's something from a book Clarabelle loves to read, over and over again, and the line has always stayed with him.  
  
Fjord smiles up at him. "Yeah, you're gonna fit in with us, just fine."  
  
Caduceus can't help but smile back, Fjord's amusement infectious, and his friendliness impossible to resist.  
  
Until now, he'd doubted his decision to leave home and try to forge his own path. But now he thinks he's starting to understand the Wildmother's urgings.  
  
There's a great big world out there, and people in it. People like Fjord.  
  
He's never been glad to nearly-drown in all his life.  
  


****

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is absolutely welcome and appreciated. I'd love to know what you think! I've got a few potential ideas brewing for a way to continue this already. ^_^


End file.
